It's gremlins Bill – they used to live in the cockpits of WW-2 aircraft but the little swines have multiplied and now infest workshops as well. They steal anything dropped on the floor and mine have learned how to move the dials on the machines handwheels when I'm not looking and replace my expert marking out with centre pops in the wrong places.
 

Edited By Siddley on 03/01/2013 18:57:31

I have attempted to mimise this effect by filling these orifices with foam rubber or insulation foam. The areas I have so far located are:- Base of vice, 2" gap under some bookcases, base of pedestal drill. I also covered the triangulated bed of my lathe with sheet ali, giving a nice smooth groove to find small parts. One particular bubear is under my bench are rows of drawers with poorlly fitting fronts, so some timmes when a small part drops, it can go into one of 6 drawers as well as on the floor.

Frank

I have dropped what you would think is a large item only to see it actually disapear into a Black hole, the worse thing is when it pops up in the house somewhere a few days later

Martin P

A talented model engineer friend of ours has always lived by the rule: if you don't find it in the first ten seconds you make another one. He isn't a wealthy chap – but he's turned out a lot of models! Must be something in it…

very very very small screws……..

the gremlins in my shed aren't little… took the imperial drawbar for my mill, hid it for months, returned it a few days after i invested hard-earned in an overpriced 9/16 threaded rod and nuts and made a replacement.

russ

Hi Bill

my small workshop sure has a big black hole in the floor. If anything small drops to the floor, it is gone! Or may be my eyes are not as good as they used to be?

Thor

Can someone look in their , 'Black hole' and see if my single ended half inch QCT spanner is there?

It always lives on the bolt head and now has walked, I have had everything out of the workshop and no sign. It left no note saying where it was going, so I have posted it AWOL.

Had to buy another spanner, the ring end fits but the jaw end does not!

Clive

My Gremlins are called the Little People. They keep borrowing stuff that is left on the bench, sometimes they return it after a few days exactly where I left it, sometimes they have put it away where it is usually stored. I think they are building something but I don't know what. And yes, I have this Black Hole too, where little bits disappear, again it's the Little People getting stuff for whatever they are making.

I thought my workshop was the only with with a Black Hole and the Little People, now it seems all workshops have them………………

ChrisH

Edited By ChrisH on 04/01/2013 11:36:30

Mine's a thieving gremlin, rather than a black hole. And I know it's only got one leg, because it comes into the house sometimes and helps itself to a sock out of the washing machine, but never a matching pair. Must be writing its life story, too, because it gets through loads of ballpoint pens.

Andy

Having lost many small parts at the parting -off stage over the years and having to part off some tiny ball ended handles that were particularly difficult to make , I cleaned all around my lathe, surrounded it with card board walls and used a small cardboard box to catch the first one. I can't possibly lose this one! The little handle went into the box, jumped out again, landed on the flat belt, and must have joined the satellites because it didn't seem to land anywhere. The gremlins find a way whenever they wish!! Colin

I work in my shed which has a concrete floor and corrugated walls, Course the corrugations have gaps between the shed walls and floor so I know where my bits go too, Unfortunately its grass outside the shed so have no hope of finding anything. so dont bother, once its dropped its gorn forever if its not found in 30 seconds

Andy